The Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) issued a letter voicing support for the U.S. strikes on Iran that was signed by 72 retired U.S. generals and admirals.

Blaise Misztal, vice president for policy at JINSA, told JNS in an interview, “They wanted to both express what they see as the need for these operations, the need to address the Iranian threat, their confidence in that partnership and communicate that to the American people through this letter.”

The statement said that the Iranian regime, whose slogan is “death to America, death to Israel,” has “committed to endangering the lives of U.S. troops, diplomats and civilians across the Middle East and here at home.”

“Hundreds of Americans have lost their lives at the hands of the Islamic Republic and its terrorist proxies,” the statement went on to say. “Leaders in Tehran openly state their ambitions to spill American blood, evict the United States from the Middle East, eliminate Israel and dominate a region that remains vital to global stability.”

Iran is the “largest state sponsor of terrorism” and is allied with American’s greatest enemies, Russia and China. The United States has offered Iran “every offramp possible,” but was unable to deter the authoritarian regime from pursuing the acquisition of nuclear weapons.

“The regime’s brutal crackdown on protesters showed the entire world just what it is willing to do to keep its people, and the region, under its thumb,” the statement added.

According to Misztal, JINSA, which is marking its 50th anniversary, has long brought retired U.S. military leaders to Israel and has developed “long-lasting relationships” with them, valuing, as they do, the relationship between the U.S. and Israel.

Misztal pointed out that many of these leaders served in the Middle East and witnessed the devastation Iran visited on U.S. soldiers, such as killing 600 service members in Iraq and continual attacks on U.S. bases in the Middle East.

The military leaders urged the Iranian people to topple the regime and take their fate in their own hands, marking a stark contrast between the U.S. war on terror and this war. In the war on terror, the U.S. sought to effect regime change from the top down.

“It’s not a regime-change war, where the United States is the one that was going to topple this regime,” he explained. “It’s not a nation-building war, where the United States is going to be committed for decades to keeping troops in Iran and propping up whatever comes next.”

“It’s a recognition that we’re there to eliminate a threat and that we’re hopeful that the Iranian people, who have shown both their bravery in standing up to this regime but also their love of freedom and desire for something better to replace it, will seize the opportunity,” he concluded. “Understanding that that’s not necessarily going to be our role to give them that opportunity going forward.”